Encouraging Eco-Friendly and Pure Technologies to Ensure a Sustainable Future

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 12th May. At the INSA Auditorium, ITO, New Delhi, on May 11, 2024, the Technology Development Board (TDB), a division of the Department of Science and Technology, observed National Technology Day.

Renowned scientists, dignitaries, and thought leaders came together for the ‘Promoting Clean and Green Technologies for a Sustainable Future’ event with the goal of laying out a roadmap for a more resilient, cleaner, and greener country.

In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Indian government, stressed the promotion of electric vehicles (EVs) through programs like the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) and Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME). He emphasized the EV Mission, which is tasked with creating frameworks and standards that would encourage the adoption of EVs and is headed by the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, Innovation, and Advisory Council (PM-STIAC).

Prof. Sood further emphasized the National Hydrogen Mission’s strategic significance in India’s efforts to reach its 2070 net-zero goal. He underlined that a crucial part of this goal is making large investments in the production of green hydrogen. In order to support India’s sustainability objectives, Prof. Sood also outlined current initiatives in the field of Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) technology, including cost-optimization policies and wider industrial application.

Professor Sood emphasized the value of international partnerships and consultative groups, such as OPSA’s Zero Emission Trucking partnership with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), in strengthening India’s technological frameworks and policies for sustainable development and achieving global climate goals.

The importance of innovation for national development was emphasized by Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, DST. He also emphasized the necessity to cultivate an innovative culture and give people an opportunity to contribute to the advancement of their country. He outlined the steps taken by the government to support a range of R&D projects and to promote innovation through programs like NIDHI and TDB, which are designed to support entrepreneurship and incubate businesses. Prof. Karandikar stressed in his speech the critical role that DST plays in fostering research and development in sustainable fields, especially in clean and green technologies like electric vehicles (EVs) and water treatment. He emphasized the noteworthy investments made in these initiatives and TDB’s innovative work in assisting MSMEs and entrepreneurs in the clean and green energy industry.

Professor Karandikar emphasized the need of incorporating technology into policy frameworks to promote advancement, emphasizing line ministries’ partnerships and their shift to sustainable objectives. He outlined his goal of having net-zero carbon emissions by 2070 and stated that he wanted India to take the lead in sustainability initiatives worldwide.

In his keynote speech, Padmashri Prof. G.D. Yadav promoted technical advancements and carbon reduction as means of achieving net zero by 2070. He emphasized the future promise of green hydrogen and the potential of white hydrogen. suggesting battery recycling, hydrogenating plastic, and waste-to-wealth factories as paths for sustainable innovation. The TDB Secretary, Sh. Rajesh Kumar Pathak, outlined the important initiatives that the organization has financed and emphasized the vital role that these technologies play in encouraging environmental stewardship.

The President of INSA and former secretary of science, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, emphasized the importance of technology in accomplishing sustainability goals and urged stakeholders and legislators to give it top priority. “Technology is a double-edged sword: it can lead to increased consumption but it can also reduce inefficiency,” he remarked. Focus on energy-efficient housing, green hydrogen, EVs, and carbon capture to counteract this. Addressing climate change requires a global shift to renewable energy. Let’s see to it that technology supports sustainability. Twenty ideas that were chosen to compete in the esteemed Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) were represented by the participation of twenty-three students at the event. These finalists, who were chosen from among 140 students around the country who presented 100 creative concepts, will represent India at the Regeneron ISEF, which will take place in Los Angeles, California, USA, from May 11–17, 2024. Renowned for being the largest pre-college science fair globally, Regeneron ISEF brings together more than 1,600 young science enthusiasts from more than 60 nations, promoting idea sharing and exhibiting state-of-the-art research. Frequently referred to as the “Olympics of Science Fairs,” the occasion provides a global arena for young brains to flourish.

Twenty ideas that were chosen to compete in the esteemed Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) were represented by the participation of twenty-three students at the event.